Projects | Good Night Out Campaign

Safer Streets

Bespoke workshop series

In March 2023 we provided two free specialist training sessions focused on the prevention of violence against women and girls in the context of street-based sexual harassment, to street wardens and private security in identified hotspots in Lambeth and Southwark. Commissioned by Lambeth Council, we upskilled attendees with knowledge and methods on how to better support members of the public, how to be active and informed bystanders, and understanding of possible victim/survivor responses using a trauma-informed framework.

MUBI

Film Screening + Feminist Panel Discussion

In November 2023 we collaborated with MUBI to host a screening of the award-winning film How To Have Sex, followed by a panel discussion dissecting the themes of consent and teen holiday experiences raised by the film through a feminist lens.

We curated the screening and panel discussion, selecting the panel line-up which included experts in feminist film, media and consent education. In the run up to our screening of How To Have Sex, which took place at our chosen cinema Hackney Picturehouse, we conducted a successful social media campaign to advertise the screening and the importance of the film, and followed up the event by sharing the full panel discussion online, as well as a series of interviews with attendees from the night, delving further into the topics raised in the film.

Malibu • #GOODVIBESONLY

Bespoke workshops + social media campaign

We worked with Malibu on a broad campaign focussed on safety in student nightlife to coincide with Freshers Week that was centred around three main outcomes…

Delivery of a bespoke workshop series to Malibu’s ‘Malicrew’ Freshers Street Team to assist with their presence in venues and streets around England & Wales during freshers week promoting the brand. This included co-branded active bystander take-home materials and digital resource dashboards.
Delivery of bespoke co-branded workshops to floor staff at Malibu-partnered Revolution Bars that are at the heart of student nightlife across the UK.
Consultation on their social media campaign around sexual violence and safety in student nightlife, with our Active Bystander Guide being adapted into an Instagram video featuring Love Island’s Olivia Atwood and Joey Essex

Desperados • Door Person Diploma

Bespoke workshops

We created bespoke Door Person Diploma workshops for nightlife security or door staff in venues, pubs, bars, clubs & cultural spaces in UK, Belgium, France or The Netherlands.

Subjects covered include:

Responding to disclosures of sexual violence
Drugs, alcohol and consent in nightlife spaces
Removing barriers to seeking help including countering intimidation
Risk assessing situations and supportive working
De-escalation tools

We were able to provide this interactive in-depth training from specialist nightlife safety educators for free, thanks to our partnership with Desperados F.R.E.E.

Reframe the Night 2022

Myth-busting Campaign

In January 2022 we were commissioned by City of London Corporation to develop an updated and refreshed version of our popular myth-busting campaign. Displayed online and in physical locations around the borough, the posters targeted high traffic areas such as Liverpool street station, challenging harmful attitudes with smart reframes to start conversation.

A large screen displays a Reframe The Night poster in a busy public space. The posted depicts two illustrative abstract heads facing each other. One of the heads says 'we used to have fun at work, but you can't say anything these days', to which the other responds, 'fun for who? If people are your punchlines, it's time to change the script.'

The physical campaign

We wanted to create a supporting motif for the campaign that was eye-catching in its own right, but did not risk alienating the attention of any specific audience, so we used typographic styles and colour palettes to draw in potential audiences that may not standardly engage with what they might see as ‘public information’ ads.

Our simplified face motif achieved both a neutral human representation of a shared social issue and aligning its positioning to the call and response aspect of the campaign. The first face (or voice) accompanies the myth (that draws the audience in) and the second accompanies the reframing. The most effective change happens in dialogue.

A large screen displays a Reframe The Night poster in a busy train station. The poster depicts two abstract heads facing each other. One of the heads says 'I heard she made it all up for attention', to which the other responds, 'Many don't speak up about sexual violence from fear of not being believed. Are you safe to share with?'' — A render of one of the final campaign posters in context.

The online campaign

We know from our training delivery that fear of not being believed is one of the ‘stickiest’ barriers to report than women and LGBTQ+ people experience when considering their options in response to sexual violence, and that social attitudes which suggest sexual violence is frequently fabricated play into this fear. Our digital posters made this point in front of thousands of commuters a day.

A Reframe The Night poster, depicting an abstract face saying 'If they go out dressed like that, what do they expect?'. Underneath text reads 'Let's reframe the night. cityoflondon.gov.uk/reframethenight'. At the bottom of the poster are the Good Night Out, City of London and City of London Police logos. — One of the myth slides used for social media

Our simplified face motif achieved both a neutral human representation of a shared social issue and aligning its positioning to the call and response aspect of the campaign. The first face (or voice) accompanies the myth (that draws the audience in) and the second accompanies the reframing. We know the most effective change happens in dialogue, and Reframe the Night 2022 aims to keep pushing the conversation forward.

A Reframe The Night poster, depicting an abstract face saying 'Whatever we choose to wear, we deserve and expect your respect'. Underneath text reads 'Let's reframe the night. cityoflondon.gov.uk/reframethenight'. At the bottom of the poster are the Good Night Out, City of London and City of London Police logos. — The accompanying mythbusting slide for the above myth

Wales Violence Prevention Unit • #SafeToSay

Active Bystander Campaign

We developed a striking bilingual Active Bystander campaign and toolkit for the Wales Violence Prevention Unit in the nighttime economy areas of Cardiff in 2021.

The aim was to encourage and equip people to speak up if they recognise or have concerns about someone’s attitude or behaviour, and to progress the conversation on from what is not okay, to what they can do about it.

The cover and the inside of the 'Active Bystander Toolkit'.

Using everyday local language which was inclusive of and spoke to victim, perpetrator and bystander, we built a series of scenarios with the client and helped fine tune the safest most empowering responses.

The toolkit, produced in partnership with Welsh Women’s Aid, supports wannabe active bystanders to understand what stepping in safely in a range of situations in nightlife could look like, and how to ensure that when individuals engage with unsafe situations they effectively de-escalate.

As we become more confident in challenging harmful comments and actions, we can better support each other. The project acknowledges that each of us will have different levels of confidence and comfort when it comes to challenging harassment, and that personal safety is key. The toolkit provides tips and guidance on how to intervene when you notice someone behaving in a way that isn’t right.

Check out the Project microsite #SafeToSay here.

Bryony Parry, VPU Communications Lead, said

It was fantastic to work with Good Night Out Campaign on our campaign to prevent sexual harassment in nightlife in South Wales. The team brought expert knowledge to help develop an evidence-based, effective and engaging campaign, and their skills and experience meant we were able to hit the ground running and deliver an impactful campaign in a short timescale.

Our contact at GNO Bryony Beynon was also incredibly helpful in thinking about creative ways to communicate a complicated message, from the social media ads to the bystander toolkit. She played a key role in ensuring the messaging and the creative was spot on.

We were also grateful for the team’s support in engaging with partners throughout the campaign’s development and delivery – their thorough knowledge of evidence on gender based violence prevention and intervention meant we were able to get all partners on the same page and ready to support the campaign.

Two adjacent posters, one English language and one Welsh language, at a train station in Cardiff. Both posters depict a conversation via speech bubbles. The English language one has the first person saying 'I've got a hotel fancy joining?' to which the second person replies 'Ew no. I have a boyfriend'. A third person then interjects 'Leave our friend alone.'

Campaign reach

The campaign appeared on bus stops, parking meters, and billboards throughout Swansea and Cardiff City Centre in Summer 2021, and has been renewed and extended to be reused in other areas of the country.

A positive evaluation of the project’s impact in empowering nightlife users to intervene safely is available to read here.

A billboard in Cardiff. The poster depicts a conversation between two people via speech bubbles. The first person says, 'Who dares me to slap her bum?!' to which the second person respons 'Nah mate, that's not cool'. Adjacent text reads 'Every day, people sexually harass others in our city. We can all help end sexual harrassment and violence. Let's take a stand safely and make a real difference.' Underneath is the hashtag #SafeToSay and the text 'Find out more at safetosay.wales.' — Billboard in Cardiff

Safer States

Harm reduction guide

Safer States is an information toolkit about drugs and nightlife brought to you in collaboration with Release, The Love Tank, and Safe Only.

Drugs are part of nightlife. They always have been, and whether you use them or not, they aren’t going anywhere. It’s high time we got informed. Safer States is for anyone who uses drugs now, may do so in the future, or cares about those in their community who do. We’ve cut through the noise to bring you the most accurate information, informed by science, evidence and a commitment to respect, autonomy and care.

Reframe the Night

Myth-busting Campaign

In 2019, we worked with Hackney Council and the City of London Corporation to develop myth-busting messaging for billboards, bus stops and public spaces around both boroughs, aimed at challenging the common myths about who is responsible for sexual violence in nightlife.

Using the concept of ‘reframing’ myths with a creative call-back to the trailblazers of the 1970s who called for women to ‘Reclaim the Night,’ we crafted these key messages to encourage nightlife lovers to see these harmful attitudes in a new light.

The public project was backed up with a series of free, open-access training events open to anyone working in the nightlife economies in Hackney or the City of London.

Doug Barrow, Chairman of the City Corporation’s Safer City Partnerships Strategy Group, said:

Sexual harassment is completely unacceptable in the City or anywhere else. It has a profound impact on the victim, affecting every aspect of their life. Many people affected by sexual violence blame themselves and question whether they could have done something differently to prevent the incident from occurring.

These views are reinforced within society by myths and beliefs about sexual harassment. Reframe the Night aims to challenge these, putting the blame and responsibility back on the perpetrator, not the victim.

Selected coverage of the project:

East London Lines: Hackney Tackles Sexual Harassment

The Morning Advertiser: Campaign to drive late-night premises to tackle sexual harassment

Key messages

The campaign encourages people to be an active bystander and challenge unhelpful attitudes or harmful beliefs, to draw an active link between these attitudes and the violence they enable.

This how we reframe the culture that leads to sexual violence in nightlife.

Samantha Mathys, Hackney Council’s Licensing Team Leader, said:

We’re thrilled to be working with the City of London Corporation and Good Night Out to launch our first campaign under Hackney Council’s new night time safety charter, Hackney Nights.

Campaigns that promote positive behaviour change, like ‘Reframe the Night’, will go hand-in-hand with training, resources and additional police presence to help protect local residents, visitors and businesses from crime and anti-social behaviour. These are just some of the ways that the Late-Night Levy is helping to promote a safer night time economy.

Publicity material from the Reframe The Night project. Text reads 'If you're worried someone's feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, its okay to ask if they're okay. If it doesn't seem safe to check in with them, alert a member of staff or security. The more people who are aware and able to help the better. #ReframeTheNight. Let's make these beliefs a thing of the past.' Underneath are the Hackney Nights, Good Night Out, City of London, and Hackney Council logos.

Social media users #reframethenight

During the period when assets were being displayed across billboards and bus stops, social media users tweeted their photos with the hashtag to help challenge victim blaming.

Promoting active engagement with these messages helps to build a conversation that goes beyond workplace training, shifting the norms of acceptable beliefs and attitudes.

A selfie of Olori Grace holding up a Reframe the Night flyer to the camera. — Local Domestic Abuse worker Olori Grace shows her support online.

Greater London Authority

Governance Body

Night Czar Amy Lamé invited us to develop the Women’s Night Safety Charter, a London-wide commitment for organisations active between 6pm-6am, part of the Mayor’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and London’s commitment to the UN Women Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces global initiative.

Working with the team at City Hall, we signed up more than 200 organisations to the charter and authored a toolkit to empower organisations each step of the way to fulfilling each of the pledges.

Nominate a champion in your organisation who actively promotes women’s night safety
Demonstrate to staff and customers that your organisation takes women’s safety at night seriously, for example through a communications campaign
Remind customers and staff that London is safe, but tell them what to do if they experience harassment when working, going out or travelling
Encourage reporting by victims and bystanders as part of your communications campaign
Train staff to ensure that all women who report are believed
Train staff to ensure that all reports are recorded and responded to
Design your public spaces and workplaces to make them safer for women at night

We spoke at the launch of the toolkit, the Safety Summit on Friday 19th July 2019, and continue to support the citywide agenda for change on this issue.

Sign Up to the Charter Here!

Women's Night Safety Charter Toolkit

Sign Up to the Charter Here!

Healthy Music Audiences

Research

Healthy Music Audiences is a research project that aims to understand sexual harassment and assault at live music events, led by Dr. Rosemary Hill at the University of Huddersfield. We are specialist partners on the project alongside Musicians’ Union, White Ribbon, Girls Against and Safe Gigs For Women.

The project aims to:

Understand experiences of sexual violence and their impacts on victim/survivors
Uncover the different responses of venues and promoters to such incidents
Assess what might be done to prevent and improve responses to sexual violence
Provide guidance for venues and promoters

We were invited to connect with the project to share our knowledge on these aims at an event in Leeds in June 2019. Since then, our collaboration with the researchers has grown organically to include connections with premises and event promoters interested in accreditation, and the formation of a network of organisations doing work in this area, which is covened quarterly by Dr. Hill, and included Musicians’ Union, White Ribbon, Girls Against and Safe Gigs For Women.

The project has produced a range of outputs including events, materials, research and guidance.

The Project Website saferspaces.org.uk is a great place to start on your journey to creating a safer event or licensed premises

Your Right to Party: A Zine

Read the Zine: Your Right to Party

Produced by Molly Megson and Rosemary Hill on Fun, Equality, Liberty and Solidarity aimed at DIY Venues and Organisers looking to implement safer spaces, with a focus on punk and indie themes.

The band Special Interest performing live. — Special Interest at DIY Space for London

Healthy Music Audiences Project Report 2019

Read the full report

In this report the team present their findings from the project based on interviews with gig-goers and recommendations to help respond to incidents of sexual harassment and assault at gigs and concerts

Projects & Partners Projects & Partnerships

On our Safer Streets training...